Tool



Jul 1e 6, 1939. E. c. FURRER TOOL INVENTQR. EMERY C FUREER.

Filed Feb. 8, 1937 mwawuem fl ATTORNEY.

Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tools, particularly tools for cutting tubular armor formed of a helical strip, such as the armor of so-called BX cable.

One object of the invention is to provide a hand operable tool for severing armor of helical strip form by shearing the strip without severing the wires within the armor.

A further object of the invention is to provide 10 a hand operable tool having a pair of co-acting shearing blades and levers or handles for operating the same, the tool being so constructed that one of said blades is caused to penetrate the armor to the rear of the strip at the contemplated line of severance, during which action the blades are restrained from shearing action, but after which the blades may be operated to sever or partially sever the strip.

Other objects of the invention relate to various features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tool embodying the present invention which is shown in position with reference to a cable just prior to the first step of the severing operation;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tool;

Fig. 3 is a broken elevation illustrating different steps in the severing operation;

Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation showing a tool having shearing blades adapted to sever the helical armor strip in one shearing operation.

In the drawing, It! indicates a lever having a handle portion II which constitutes the longer leg of the lever and a shorter leg l2 which is provided with a spur-like shearing blade l3. The lever it? is pivotally connected at I4 to a second lever l5, also having a long leg or handle portion 15 and a shearing blade I! on the opposite side of the pivot 14 which is adapted to cooperate with the blade It in severing the cable armor. The lever I!) is pivoted also at Hi to a third member H which constitutes means for engaging the cable shown at 2b and also means for engaging and guiding the lever l5 during the initial operation of the tool, as will be explained more specifically hereinafter. The cable 20 is of the well known flexible BX type, which is formed of a helical strip of metal, the convolutions of which have overlapping edges. The holding member [9 in the form illustrated is provided with a hook 2l at the forward end thereof which is adapted to be hooked around 5 the cable adjacent the convolution to be severed,

the hook having a pitch corresponding to the helical pitch of the armor so that the hook will closely engage the armor and resist relative movement or slipping action of the armor with reference to the tool during the operation of the latter. The member H3 is provided at its rear end with an enlarged vertical portion l9a provided with an aperture IBb which has a rearwardly extending recess 590. The portion Illa is also provided with a laterally extending projection or thumb piece lfld. When the tool is in the position shown in Fig. l, a lug 22 which is carried by the lever i6 is disposed within the recess 19c and rests upon the lower wall We of said recess. When the levers l0 and iii are clasped in the manner of operating a pair of pliers, for example, and pressure is exerted on the same to force them together, the lug 22 restrains downward movement of a lever IS with reference to the holding member IS. The lever l I, however, may be pulled upwardly by such action of the user, and as it moves from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, to the dotted line position indicated at Ma, the penetrating blade 13 will be moved counterclockwise and caused to force its way in between the overlapping edges of the armor to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3. It will be understood that prior to the movement of the lever II, as just described, the cable 20 will be flexed as far as possible out of the plane of the blade l3 to avoid unnecessary deformation of the convolution of the armor above the convolution to be severed. During the penetrating movement of the blade 13, as just described, during which the lever Ill moves from the pull line position of Fig. 1 to the dotted line position Illa of said figure, the pivot l l moves to the left and downwardly or counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 1. When the spur or blade l3 has reached the position l3a shown in full lines in Fig. 3, that is, has penetrated the armor to the rear of the convolution to be severed, the lug 22 will have moved forwardly from the recess I into the main portion of the recess I9b, and will thus be clear of the lower wall 19d. Further pressure applied to the handles II and H5 will therefore produce a shearing action with respect to the blades l3 and l! to sever the strip.

In the form of the tool shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the blades 13 and I! are of insufficient length to cut through the entire width of the strip. After the first severing operation the blade I! will occupy the dotted line position shown at Ila in Fig. 3. It will be noted that the point of the blade I! has not passed through the armor strip, but that the latter has been severed to a point shortly above the upper edge of the overlapping portion of the subjacent convolution. It is therefore necessary, with the tool as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, to advance the tool downwardly and impart another severing operation in order to complete the severance of the strip. After the first severing operation, the operator places his thumb on the thumb piece I901 and lifts the handle I6 upwardly with reference to the member I9, thus elevating the lug 22 to the upper portion of the recess I9b from the lower portion thereof to which it was moved during the first severing operation. The elevation of the handle It with respect to member I9 as just described, moves the blade I'I counterclockwise from the dotted position I'la, .shown in Fig. 3, to the dotted line position I'Ib. During this movement of the blade I'l, its point passes between the lower edge of the convolution to be severed and the upper overlapping edge of the next subjacent convolution. The downward movement of the blade I i from position Ila to I'll) also causes blade It to move to the dotted line position 132). With the blades in the positions I31), the movement of the levers II and I6 toward one another will produce the desired shearing action to complete the severance of the armor strip. It will be noted that in completing the severance of the armor strip, as just described, the upper edge of the subjacent convolution of the strip will not be severed.

After the severing operation, the armor may be unwound from the line of severance in either direction to the extent desired or pressed aside at the line of severance to enable the cables to be cut by means of the blades I3 and I1, if such is the desire of the user.

I have shown a removable blade 23 attached to the member H which may be used, if desired, in scraping the insulation from the wires 24 within the armor after the latter has been severed, as above described.

The preferred modification of the invention shown in Fig. 4 differs from that above described only in providing longer blades I3 and I1, whereby the blade I3, during the penetrating action, will move to the position shown in Fig. L

During the shearing or severing action, the blade U will sever the strip transversely and will also partially sever the subjacent convolution of the strip at the point of overlap.

In Fig. 4, the reference numerals corresponding to those employed in the preceding figures have been applied to corresponding parts, but have been primed for the purpose of distinction.

In connection with the form shown in Fig. 4;, it will be understood that after the lug of the member I6 has been freed from the slot of the holding member, the armor'strip is severed by a single operation of the handles II and I6.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my improvements for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool for severing armor of helical strip form comprising an armor holding member, a

pair of pivotally mounted shearing-blades, and a pair of pivotally attached manually operable levers secured to said holding member and acting therewith for sequentially actuating said blades in a direction whereby one of the same is caused to indent the armor inwardly and enter the indentation to the rear of the convolution to be severed prior to the shearing action of the blades.

2. A tool for severing armor of helical strip form comprising a member for holding the armor during the severing operation, a lever pivoted intermediate the ends thereof to said holding member and provided with a penetrating and shearing blade for penetrating the armor to a position at the rear of the convolutions to be severed during initial operation of said lever, and

a second cooperative lever pivotally attached to said first lever and provided with a shearing blade arranged for co-action with said first blade in severing the armor, and cooperating means carried by said holding member and said second lever for retaining the latter against shearing action during the penetrating action of the first blade.

3. A tool for severing armor of helical strip form comprising a pair of pivotally connected levers provided with co-acting shearing blades, a holding member for securing the tool to the armor to be severed, one of said levers being pivotally attached to said holding member and arranged to cause the blade thereof to penetrate the armor to the rear of the convolution to be severed prior to the mutual shearing action of the same with the other blade.

4. A tool for cutting armor of helical strip form comprising a holding member for engaging armor to be severed, and a pair of levers having co-acting blades, said levers being pivotally secured to said holding member on an axis whereby the blade of one of said levers is arranged to penetrate the armor behind the convolution to be severed upon operation of the respective lever, said other blade being movable by the other lever for cooperation with said penetrating blade to sever the armor.

5. A tool for severing armor of helical strip 'form comprising an armor penetrating and shearing blade, a second shearing blade, a pair of pivotally attached levers carrying said blades, and an armor engaging element pivotally se cured to one of said levers and cooperating with the same for guiding the latter and the blade thereof in a direction to cause said blade to penetrate the armor to the rear of the convolution thereof to be severed, said element having means for restraining shearing action of said other lever during such penetrating action and arranged'to release said restrained lever upon completion of the penetrating movement for coaction with the other lever in shearing the strip.

6. A tool for severing armor of helical strip form comprising a holding member having a hook at the forward end for engaging the armor, a lever pivoted intermediate the ends to said holding member and comprising on one side of the pivotal axis a hand operable leg and on the other side of the axis a shorter leg, an armor penetrating and shearing blade carried by said shorter leg, and a second lever pivoted to said shorter legand having at one side of said pivotal axis an armor shearing blade arranged for cooperation with said first blade, said second lever having a hand operable member on the other side of ,said last mentioned pivotal axis adapted for co-action with said first handle and holding member to force one of said blades into the armor behind the convolution thereof to be severed and to sever said strip, said member being provided with a: laterally projecting ..lug,.said holdingi member having a recess receiving said lug and arranged to co-act therewith to restrain relative shearing action of said blades during the penetration of the armor.

7. A tool for severing armor of helical strip form comprising a pair of levers pivotally attached together adjacent the forward ends thereof and terminating at said ends in shearing blades, a holding member pivotally attached to one of said levers and terminating at one end in an armor engaging member and at the other in guiding means, and means carried by the second of said levers for co-action with said guiding means for restraining shearing action of said blades until one of said blades has penetrated to the rear of a convolution of the armor to be severed.

EMERY C. FURRER. 

